Nothing Wrong
by DobbyLovesSocks
Summary: "I ain't done nothing wrong." His voice was shaky and uncertain, but he repeated the words again and again until he sounded almost convinced of their truth." /When you're taught something as a child, it tends to stick with you forever. Even if it ruins everything.


"Whaddaya mean, the boy done it?"

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but it's the only possible way it coulda happened. Looks like he was playin' with them boxes over there and one of 'em fell down on the lady's head. She have a husband we could talk to?"

The woman shook her head, her bright red lips pursed in a look of disdain. "Left her after the baby was born. I s'pose the boy'll be comin' to stay with me, now? I sure wouldn't mind some company, I get right lonely all alone."

The policeman jotted something down in his notebook and nodded shortly. "An' how old is the boy?"

"Lemme see... Lennie?"

The boy slowly lifted his head, eyes wide and crouched over himself as if he had something to hide.

"How old are ya, boy? Why, I can't remember when you last had a birthday!"

The little boy furrowed his eyebrows and a look of deep concentration came over his face. "Eigh'. Eigh' years old, Aunt Clara."

The policeman made another note and tucked the book in his pocket. "Well, that'll be all for today," he said. "I'll be checkin' in with ya in the next week or so." He directed his attention toward Lennie. "And you, boy, stay out of trouble." Lowering his voice, he continued so that only Lennie could hear his next words. "An' you better pray for your damned life, boy, that you didn't do anythin' you don't want us finding out about."

Lennie nodded meekly, and the policeman stalked away. "Aunt Clara?"

"What is it, Lennie?"

He looked at her for a moment, biting his lip, and began to cry. "I did somethin' bad, didn' I?"

She paused, brushing his hair out of his eyes. "Tell me what happened, Lennie. All of it."

"I was takin' down the box to get somethin' out, an' then I dropped it and it- it fell on her head and it _killed_ her!"

"Hush, now," she murmured, ruffling his hair. "It was an accident. You ain't done nothin' wrong."

"But it _killed_ her!"

"You ain't done nothing wrong," she repeated. "What you've gotta do now is try an' forget it."

"F-forget about it?" Lennie asked incredulously.

His aunt nodded. "Think about somethin' that makes you happy. What makes you happy?"

Lennie thought about this for a moment. "Rabbits!" he exclaimed at last. "Playin' with the rabbits outside makes me real happy."

"Now, Lennie," his aunt said, "I need ya to go outside and play with them rabbits for a bit. And whenever you start feelin' sad, just think about them rabbits an' try to forget what happened, can you do that?"

Lennie nodded seriously and walked outside. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something brown with long ears dashing out from behind a tree and began chasing it, but by the time he reached the tree, it was gone.

After a moment, he sat down with his back to the tree and bit his lip. "I ain't done nothing wrong," he whispered, trying to make himself believe the words. "I- I just killed her, I s'pose it coulda been worse. _I ain't done nothing wrong._" His voice was shaky and uncertain, but he repeated the words again and again until he sounded almost convinced of their truth.

.o.

The schoolyard was full of children running and shouting, but Lennie stood alone off to the side, excitedly rubbing something in his hand.

"Don't ya worrie, Mousie," he said happily, "I'm gonna take you home and you can sleep on my pillow and- Mousie?" His eyes widened in fear, and he ran over to his teacher. "Why ain't she moving, Ma'am?"

The teacher flinched, drawing back in disgust. "You gone and killed 'im! You petted 'im so hard he died!" Suddenly angry, she brought Lennie inside and took out her ruler. She drew her arm back and beat him, leaving his back bright red.

When the sound of wood against skin finally ceased, Lennie turned to face his teacher with tears in his eyes, but she spoke first.

"We don't go killin' mice here. You're stayin' late after class tomorrow."

Lennie looked up, a look of pure confusion on his face. "But I ain't done nothing wrong."

She looked back at him with a mix of irritation and disgust. "Play with the rabbits next time."

.o.

The next day at school, he was kept late by the teacher.

"Why do I gotta stay here?" he asked.

"You remember what I told you yesterday?"

Thinking hard for a moment, Lennie looked up triumphantly. "You tol' me to play with the rabbits nex' time!"

"An' I also told you that you've gotta stay late for killin' that mouse."

"What mouse?"

The teacher threw up her arms in exasperation.

"I- I s'pose I forgot," Lennie said softly. "I was just thinking 'bout them rabbits.

.o.

Over a decade later, he and George were running out of Weed as fast as their legs could carry them and Lennie was practically leaving a trail of dead mice behind him.

"Lennie," George shouted after declaring that they were finally safe. "Quit playin' with them mice. You keep killin' 'em."

"But George," he said innocently, "I ain't tryin' to hurt 'em. I didn't do nothin' wrong if I wasn't try'n hurt 'em. I just wanted to pet 'em 'cause they're so soft."

"Yeah, well that's what you said to the girl in Weed yesterday, ain't it?"

"What girl?"

"Christ, Lennie, don't you remember nothin'? The one who said ya raped her, that girl! That's why we've been runnin' all day!"

"Oh! I remember now!" Lennie exclaimed. "You said I couldn't tend to the rabbits if I was in jail, righ', George? See, I remember!"

"Ya only remember what I tell you about them goddamned rabbits!"

"I'm s'posed to forget the bad things that happened and just think about the rabbits," he insisted. "'Cause I ain't done nothing wrong. I gotta forget everything 'cept the rabbits."

"You gotta forget everything 'cept the rabbits?" George scoffed. "Says who?"

Lennie opened his mouth to respond, but realized he had no answer. "I... I dunno, George. But I ain't done nothin' wrong."


End file.
